Why the Eagles?

I'm from East Brunswick, New Jersey. The house where I grew up is 48 miles from Yankee Stadium, across the street from the site of the old Yankee Stadium, home of the NFL's New York Giants from 1956 to 1973; and also 48 miles from the site of the Polo Grounds, home of the Giants from 1925 to 1955, and the New York Jets (originally the New York Titans) from 1960 to 1963.

The house is 36 miles from MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and the Jets, built next-door to the site of Giants Stadium, home of the Giants from 1976 to 2009, and of the Jets from 1984 to 2009.

The house is 51 miles from Citi Field, built next-door to the site of Shea Stadium, home of the Jets from 1964 to 1983, and of the Giants in 1975.

And it's 65 miles from Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, adjacent to the site of Veterans Stadium, home of the Eagles from 1971 to 2003.

Based on distance alone, it would make more sense for me to be a fan of the Giants, or the Jets, than the Eagles.

But the things that would seem to make the most sense don't always. Because of their 1970s success, when they were frequently on television, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Miami Dolphins and then then-Oakland Raiders gained lots of fans in big cities, and their suburbs, whose teams weren't doing well at the time. Keeping in mind that only the 2 Division Champions made it from 1933 to 1966, the 4 Division Champions from 1967 to 1969, and the 3 Division Champions plus 1 Wild Card in each of 2 Conferences from 1970 to 1977:

* The Giants did not make the Playoffs between 1963 and 1981.

* The Jets did not make the Playoffs between 1969 and 1981.

* The Eagles did not make the Playoffs between 1960 and 1978.

* The Boston/New England Patriots did not make the Playoffs between 1963 and 1976.

* And the Chicago Bears did not make the Playoffs between 1963 and 1977.

This would also be true for the 1980s, despite the Giants and the Jets recovering enough to make the Playoffs on a regular basis. The Bears, the San Francisco 49ers, and the team then known as the Washington Redskins gained nationwide followings.

As a result, in New York, in Philadelphia, and in their suburbs, which, between them, includes the entire State of New Jersey (including the hardscrabble cities and the rural areas), there's a lot of people who root for an NFL team other than the G-Men, Gang Green, or the Birds.

So, given my age, it would be understandable if my favorite team wasn't either of the New York teams or the Philadelphia team.

But television has nothing to do with my not being a Giants fan, or a Jets fan.

The reason I am not a fan of the New York Jets is that most Jet fans tend to also be fans of baseball's New York Mets, due to their sharing of Shea Stadium, and also due to their both having won their league's titles in 1969. I'm a Yankee Fan, and Met fans struck me as having all the arrogance and obnoxiousness of Yankee Fans, without having earned it. Treating one title (2 for the Mets from 1986 onward) as if they meant more than the 22 titles the Yankees then had, and treating the 4 NFL Championships won by the Giants as not counting, because they came in the pre-Super Bowl era.

Plus, I was sick of hearing about Joe Namath, who, by the time I was old enough to watch him, was a broken-down wreck.

So, the Giants, right? After all, I'm from New Jersey, and the Giants were the pioneers in playing in New Jersey. For those of us growing up there at the time, Giants Stadium was huge. Not just big in physical size, but in terms of how it raised our profile. We were "major league," and could stand alongside New York City and Philadelphia with pride.

Except... the Giants kept the New York name. They took the "ny" logo off their helmets, replacing it with "GIANTS" -- until the year 2000, anyway -- but they remained, officially, "the New York Giants." Or, in the traditional, plus accent, "the Noo Yawk Footbawl Ji-unts."

In New Jersey public schools, we were taught to be proud of our home State. As a result, it really offended me -- indeed, it offended the entire family, including those of us who also made the voyage across the Hudson River from New York City to New Jersey -- that the Giants wouldn't change their name to "the New Jersey Giants."

So, the Jets, right? After all, they're the other alternative, unless you want to be one of those bandwagon fans who roots for the Cowboys or the Steelers.

But, no. I didn't want to hang around Jet fans. It meant hanging around Met fans.

So, that's it, right? I just don't have a favorite football team.

Then came November 19, 1978. The Miracle of the Meadowlands. A last-minute screwup by Giant quarterback Joe Pisarcik gave the Eagles a stunning win, pushing them on to their 1st Playoff berth in 18 years, while the Giants crashed and burned.

And I noticed something else. Not only were the Eagles good, they were interesting, led by head coach Dick Vermeil. And their quarterback was Ron Jaworski. In his second act, as an NFL analyst on ESPN, his nickname is "Jaws." But, as an Eagle quarterback, his nickname was "The Polish Rifle." He was Polish -- and so was I. This -- not Pisarcik, who was also Polish but seemed to stand in for all the stupidity people joked about Polish people having; not Namath, who was Hungarian but by now retired; and not Richard Todd, Namath's replacement as Jet signal-caller -- was a quarterback I could get behind.

My Quarterback -- Then

And not that far to the south of me, in towns like Spotswood, Monroe and South Brunswick, was, more or less, the unofficial border between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, where Yankee and Met fans gave way to Phillies fans, and the Giants' and Jets' fanbases faded out and the Eagles' faded in. Same with the Knicks and Nets to the 76ers, and the Rangers -- not yet any Islander fans in New Jersey, and the Devils didn't exist yet -- to the Flyers. So, to be an Eagles fan in East Brunswick was unusual, but hardly outrageous.

And I was getting in on the ground floor of something good, or so it seemed: The Eagles reached Super Bowl XV in 1981. But that was the peak: They lost that game to the Raiders, and fell apart after that. They got good again in the late 1980s, and remained so until the mid-1990s. They got good again in 2001, and went to 4 straight NFC Championship Games, but won only one, and lost Super Bowl XXXIX, to the New England Patriots.

I was in Philadelphia on the day of the 2008 NFC Championship Game, which the Eagles were favored to win over the Arizona Cardinals, but they lost. I walked into a Wawa, and there was a uniformed policeman there. I told him, "Officer, I want to report a crime: The Eagles are killing me." He said nothing, just nodded. He knew.

The Eagles finally won Super Bowl LII in 2018, beating the Patriots. They lost Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, and are playing the Chiefs again this Sunday, in Super Bowl LIX. I'll be behind Jalen Hurts and the Broad Street Birds all the way.

My Quarterback -- Now

What's more, for reasons I won't get into here, I can't drive. And, even with the addition of the Meadowlands Rail Spur to New Jersey Transit in 2009, in time for the transition to MetLife Stadium, it's still easier to use public transportation to get to the South Philadelphia sports complex than to the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Yes, I know, the Eagles have the most-hated fan base in the League. Yes, I know, they once "booed Santa Claus." Who's kidding who? They're smarter than Cowboy fans, and saner than Raider fans.

Did I make the right choice? Right now, certainly: Both the Giants and the Jets have stunk for years. Overall? Compared to the Jets, absolutely: They've played 65 seasons, and gotten to the Super Bowl exactly once, even though they won it, and it was one of the most epic moments in pro football history. Compared to the Giants, no: The Giants have won 8 NFL Championships, including 4 Super Bowls. The Eagles have won 4 NFL Championships, only 1 in the Super Bowl era.

Taking everything into account, I'm still glad I chose the Eagles over the Giants and the Jets. Fly, Eagles, fly, on the road to victory!

Top 10 Uniform Numbers That Should Be Retired

Maurice Richard, Number 9: Retired.

Elmer Lach, Number 16: Retired.

Toe Blake, Number 6.

The Yankees have announced that they will retire Andy Pettitte's Number 46 on August 23, the 1st Anniversary of the retirement of Number 6 for Joe Torre. Presumably, he will also get his Monument Park Plaque on that day.

UPDATE: Jorge Posada's Number 20 and Bernie Williams' Number 51 will also be retired. They will also get Plaques. So will Willie Randolph, although his Number 30 will remain in circulation.

Here are the Yankees' Retired Numbers, as of now:

4 Lou Gehrig, 1st base, 1923-39, number retired on July 4, 1939
3 Babe Ruth, right field, 1920-34, June 13, 1948
5 Joe DiMaggio, center field, 1936-51, April 18, 1952
7 Mickey Mantle, center field, 1951-68, June 8, 1969
37 Casey Stengel, manager, 1949-60, August 8, 1970
8 Bill Dickey, catcher, 1928-46, coach 1949-60, April 18, 1972
8 Yogi Berra, catcher, 1946-63, coach 1975-83, manager 1964 & 1984-85, April 18, 1972
16 Whitey Ford, pitcher, April 6, 1974
15 Thurman Munson, catcher, 1969-79, August 2, 1979
32 Elston Howard, catcher, 1955-67, coach, 1969-80, July 21, 1984
9 Roger Maris, right field, 1960-66, July 21, 1984
10 Phil Rizzuto, shortstop, 1941-56, broadcaster 1957-96, August 4, 1985
1 Billy Martin, 2nd base, 1950-57, manager, on and off 1975-88, August 10, 1986
44 Reggie Jackson, right field, 1977-81, August 14, 1993
23 Don Mattingly, 1st base, 1982-95, August 31, 1997
49 Ron Guidry, pitcher, 1975-88, August 23, 2003
42 Mariano Rivera, pitcher, 1995-2013, September 22, 2013
6 Joe Torre, manager, 1996-2007, August 23, 2014
46 Andy Pettitte, pitcher, on and off 1995-2013, August 23, 2015.
20 Jorge Posada, catcher, 1995-2011, sometime in 2015.
51 Bernie Williams, center field, 1991-2006, sometime in 2015.

In addition, Monument Park Plaques have been given to Miller Huggins (Monument) and Joe McCarthy, who never wore a number (even though McCarthy managed in the major leagues until 1950); to Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Paul O'Neill, Allie Reynolds, Tino Martinez and Goose Gossage, without their numbers being retired (11, 15, 21, 22, 24 and 54, respectively); and to George Steinbrenner (Monument), Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard, who were nonuniformed personnel. Randolph's Plaque will be added.

There are also Plaques in honor of the Masses delivered at the old Yankee Stadium by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI; presumably, Pope Francis will also come to Yankee Stadium on his U.S. visit next year, making it "Four ex-Cardinals with Plaques in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium," as the old joke goes. And there are tributes to the 9/11 victims and rescuers, Jackie Robinson and Nelson Mandela (who gave a speech before a sellout crowd at The Stadium in 1990).

Removed from circulation, but not yet officially retired, is O'Neill's Number 21. Presumably, the 2 of Derek Jeter will also be retired. The 13 of Alex Rodriguez? As Pete Rose would say, Don't bet on it.

Other uniform numbers retired in major league sports in 2014 or, already, in 2015:

MLB: The Colorado Rockies retired 17 for Todd Helton.

NFL: The Jets officially retired 90 for Dennis Byrd, after merely removing it from circulation since his career-ending injury in 1992; the Pittsburgh Steelers retired 75 for Mean Joe Greene, after keeping it and several others (such as Terry Bradshaw's 12) out of circulation, but only retiring, to that point, Ernie Stautner's 70; the San Diego Chargers retired 55 for the late Junior Seau; the Chicago Bears finally made peace with Mike Ditka and retired his 89; and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers retired 55 for Derrick Brooks. The Green Bay Packers have not yet set a date, but have announced that they will retire 4 for Brett Favre.

NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers retired 3 for Allen Iverson; the Sacramento Kings retired 4 for Chris Webber and 16 for Peja Stojakovic; the San Antonio Spurs retired 12 for Bruce Bowen. The Dallas Mavericks have announced that they will retire 12 for Derek Harper.

NHL: The Montreal Canadiens retired 5 for Guy Lapointe; the Detroit Red Wings retired 5 for Nicklas Lidstrom; the Dallas Stars retired 9 for Mike Modano; and the Calgary Flames retired 25 for Joe Nieuwendyk (who helped them, and the Devils, each win a Stanley Cup). Already in 2015, the Los Angeles Kings have retired 4 for Rob Blake, the Buffalo Sabres have retired 39 for Dominik Hasek, and the Anaheim Ducks have retired 8 for Teemu Selanne. Since Martin Brodeur's experiment with the St. Louis Blues has now come to an official end, presumably, the Devils will soon retire his 30.

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Top 10 Uniform Numbers that Should Be Retired

Note: The Washington Redskins (33, Sammy Baugh) have retired just one number, but have removed several others from circulation. The Toronto Maple Leafs have only 2 retired numbers -- Bill Barilko's 5 and Ace Bailey's 6 -- but they have (Canadian spelling) "Honoured Numbers," including Tim Horton's 7, Darryl Sittler's 27 and Doug Gilmour's 93.

UPDATE: At the start of the 2016-17 season, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of both their team and the NHL, the Leafs retired all their Honoured Numbers.

From February 2015, when I first did this list, through January 2018, 3 years, none of the honorees I suggested have been honored.

10. Joint Entry: Several players for the Philadelphia Athletics. Across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants have retired numbers for players from their New York era.  The A's do hang banners for their 5 Philly-era World Championships, but they don't recognize their retired numbers from there.

They should have the following: 2, Mickey Cochrane, catcher, 1925-33; 3, Jimmie Foxx, 1st base, 1936-42; 7, Al Simmons, left field, 1924-32 with comebacks in 1940-41 and '44; 10, Lefty Grove, pitcher, 1925-33; and 32, Eddie Collins, 2nd base, 1906-14 and 1927-30, also coach 1931-32, which is when he wore the number.

Because Connie Mack lost a lot of money in the "Federal League War" of 1914-15, and lost his life savings in the stock market crash of 1929, he had to sell off both the dynasties he built. As a result, all of these guys spent some productive years with other teams: Collins and Simmons with the Chicago White Sox, Cochrane with the Detroit Tigers (where he wore 3, and they should retire it for him and for Alan Trammell, instead of merely removing it from circulation as they have), and Foxx and Grove with the Boston Red Sox.

None of them have had their numbers retired with any team, and that, along with the fact that the Philadelphia Athletics no longer exist in their present form, is why, unlike a lot of long-ago legends, they tend to get forgotten.

9. Joint Entry: Several players for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders do not retire numbers. Nor do they have a team Hall of Fame. They should retire 16 for George Blanda (quarterback/placekicker, 1967-75), 12 for Ken Stabler (quarterback, 1970-79), 32 for Marcus Allen (running back, 1982-92, which Al Davis would never have done while he was alive even if he did retire numbers, due to their nasty falling-out), and 75 for Howie Long (defensive end, 1981-93). If others should be packed away, don't tell me, tell them.

8. Joint Entry: Several players for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, either. But they do have a Ring of Honor, which was set up at their new stadium after having been established at Texas Stadium.

Five numbers ought to do it: 74, Bob Lilly, defensive tackle, 1961-74; 12, Roger Staubach, quarterback, 1969-79; 33, Tony Dorsett, running back, 1977-87; 8, Troy Aikman, quarterback, 1989-2000; and 22, Emmitt Smith, running back, 1990-2002.

7. Joint Entry: Two quarterbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles. 11, Norm Van Brocklin (1958-60); and 7, Ron Jaworski (1977-86). The Eagles have retired McNabb's 5, and he's 1 of 2 quarterbacks to lead them into the Super Bowl. Jaworski is the other. But Van Brocklin is the last quarterback to lead them to a championship, so even though he was only there for 3 years, he should be honored. (Yes, there are players who've been with some sports teams for less who've had their numbers retired — some, even without dying young.)

6. 1, Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins, goaltender, 1938-49. In his rookie season, he helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, while posting 10 shutouts, earning him the nickname "Mr. Zero." He also helped them win the Cup in 1941. He's in the Hall of Fame. But while the Bruins have retired every other single-digit uniform number except 6, they haven't retired 1.

Brimsek's predecessor in goal, Clarence "Tiny" Thompson, who helped them win the Cup in 1929, is also in the Hall of Fame, but 1 hasn't been retired for him, either.

5. 8, Gary Carter, New York Mets, catcher, 1985-89. Met fans who chose Mike Piazza as the team's all-time catcher in a 50th Anniversary poll in 2012 forgot 3 things: 1, The greatest catcher in your team's history has to actually be able to play the position of catcher, and Piazza, couldn't play it worth beans; 2, A Hall of Fame catcher who helped you win a World Series should be ahead of a catcher not in the Hall of Fame who didn't help you win one; and, 3, Carter had just died, so remembrances of him would have been fresh.

Carter was elected to the Hall in 2003, and he lived until just before spring training in 2012, so they had 9 seasons in which to retire his number — 8, if he would have been too ill to attend in 2011. The Montreal Expos retired his 8 (although it was unretired when they became the Washington Nationals), but while the Mets have taken it out of circulation, they haven't retired it.

4. 4, Leonard "Red" Kelly, Detroit Red Wings, defenseman, 1947-60. In 1954, he was awarded the 1st Norris Trophy as best defenseman. He helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup in 1950, '52, '54 and '55.

They traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who converted him to a center, and he helped them win Cups in 1962, '63, '64 and '67. This made him the only man to win as many as 8 Cups without ever having played for the Montreal Canadiens. He then retired, and became the 1st head coach for the Los Angeles Kings.

If you think Nicklas Lidstrom was the best defenseman in Detroit history, then you at least have to put Kelly alongside him in the all-time starting lineup. The Leafs have made his 4 an Honoured Number, but the Wings haven't given him the equivalent honor. They should, while he's still alive. (He's 87.)

UPDATE: The Wings retired 4 for Kelly on February 1, 2019. He was on hand for the ceremony. He died 3 months later.

3. 43, Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians, center field, 1916-26; manager, 1919-26; coach, 1947-49. Speaker retired before uniform numbers were introduced, but, like Eddie Collins, and like Honus Wagner with the Pittsburgh Pirates (who retired his Number 33), he returned as a coach, to aid Larry Doby in his transition to center field, which he hadn't played before.

Since he was their greatest player, and 1 of only 2 managers to lead them to a World Championship, he should receive the honor. (Though I have no idea why they gave him 43.)

2. 99, George Mikan, Los Angeles Lakers, center, 1947-54. True, he only played for them in Minneapolis, but the league never would have lasted long enough for them to move to Los Angeles in 1960 if Mikan hadn't been the face of the league from 1948 to 1954.

The Lakers have a banner honoring Mikan and their other Minneapolis-era Hall-of-Famers, but that's not the same thing. (UPDATE: In 2022, they finally retired Number 99.)

1. 6, Hector "Toe" Blake, Montreal Canadiens, left wing 1935-48, head coach 1955-68.  He won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1939, and the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1944 and '46. But his true contribution was as head coach, winning 8 Cups, including 5 in a row, then 4 in 5 years: 1956, '57, '58, '59, '60, '65, '66 and '68. Until Scotty Bowman came along, he was the greatest coach in NHL history. Yet, for all their retired numbers, the Habs have never given him the honor: 6 and 8 remain their only single digits in circulation.

If you're wondering why a hockey player was nicknamed "Toe," it's because, when he was a boy, his baby sister couldn't pronounce "Hector," and it came out "Hec-toe."

Top 10 Uniform Numbers That Should Be Retired

Last month, the Yankees retired Mariano Rivera's Number 42.

Here are the Yankees' Retired Numbers, as of now:

4 Lou Gehrig, 1st base, 1923-39, number retired on July 4, 1939
3 Babe Ruth, right field, 1920-34, June 13, 1948
5 Joe DiMaggio, center field, 1936-51, April 18, 1952
7 Mickey Mantle, center field, 1951-68, June 8, 1969
37 Casey Stengel, manager, 1949-60, August 8, 1970
8 Bill Dickey, catcher, 1928-46, coach 1949-60, April 18, 1972
8 Yogi Berra, catcher, 1946-63, coach 1975-83, manager 1964 & 1984-85, April 18, 1972
16 Whitey Ford, pitcher, April 6, 1974
15 Thurman Munson, catcher, 1969-79, August 2, 1979
32 Elston Howard, catcher, 1955-67, coach, 1969-80, July 21, 1984
9 Roger Maris, right field, 1960-66, July 21, 1984
10 Phil Rizzuto, shortstop, 1941-56, broadcaster 1957-96, August 4, 1985
1 Billy Martin, 2nd base, 1950-57, manager, on and off 1975-88, August 10, 1986
44 Reggie Jackson, right field, 1977-81, August 14, 1993
23 Don Mattingly, 1st base, 1982-95, August 31, 1997
49 Ron Guidry, pitcher, 1975-88, August 23, 2003
42 Mariano Rivera, pitcher, 1995-2013, September 22, 2013

In addition, Monument Park Plaques have been given to Miller Huggins (Monument) and Joe McCarthy, who never wore a number (even though McCarthy managed in the major leagues until 1950); to Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing and Allie Reynolds, without their numbers being retired (11, 15 and 22, respectively); and to George Steinbrenner (Monument), Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard, who were nonuniformed personnel.

Removed from circulation, but not yet officially retired, are the 6 of Joe Torre, the 20 of Jorge Posada, the 21 of Paul O'Neill, and the 51 of Bernie Williams. Presumably, the 2 of Derek Jeter and the 46 of Andy Pettitte will also be retired. The 13 of Alex Rodriguez? At this point, who knows.

(UPDATE: As of the 2023 season, 2, 6, 20, 21, 46 and 51 have been officially retired. 13 remains available.)

Other uniform numbers retired in major league sports in 2013: The Atlanta Braves have retired the 10 of Chipper Jones, the Philadelphia Eagles the 5 of Donovan McNabb, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the 99 of Warren Sapp; in the fall, the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets will retire the 5 of their player, now coach, Jason Kidd; the Colorado Avalanche the 52 of Adam Foote; and, finally, mending fences with their greatest living icon, the Chicago Bears the 89 of Mike Ditka.

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Top 10 Uniform Numbers that Should Be Retired

Note: The Pittsburgh Steelers (70, Ernie Stautner) and the Washington Redskins (33, Sammy Baugh) have each retired just one number, but have removed several others from circulation. No Steeler will ever again wear, among others, Terry Bradshaw's 12 or Mean Joe Greene's 75; no Redskin will ever again wear, among others, Joe Theismann's 7 or John Riggins' 44.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have only 2 retired numbers — Bill Barilko's 5 and Ace Bailey's 6 — but they have (Canadian spelling) "Honoured Numbers," including Tim Horton's 7, Darryl Sittler's 27 and Doug Gilmour's 93.

(UPDATE: At the start of the 2016-17 season, as part of their 100th Anniversary celebration, the Leafs officially retired all of their previously Honoured Numbers. The Steelers also retired Greene's 75.)

10. Joint Entry: Several players for the Philadelphia Athletics. Across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants have retired numbers for players from their New York era. The A's do hang banners for their 5 Philly-era World Championships, but they don't recognize their retired numbers from there.

They should have: 2, Mickey Cochrane, catcher, 1925-33; 3, Jimmie Foxx, 1st base, 1936-42; 7, Al Simmons, left field, 1924-32 with comebacks in 1940-41 and '44; 10, Lefty Grove, pitcher, 1925-33; and 32, Eddie Collins, 2nd base, 1906-14 and 1927-30, also coach 1931-32, which is when he wore the number.

Because Connie Mack lost a lot of money in the "Federal League War" of 1914-15, and lost his life savings in the stock market crash of 1929, he had to sell off both the dynasties he built.  s a result, all of these guys spent some productive years with other teams: Collins and Simmons with the Chicago White Sox, Cochrane with the Detroit Tigers (where he wore 3, and they should retired it for him and for Alan Trammell, instead of merely removing it from circulation), and Foxx and Grove with the Boston Red Sox.

None of them have had their numbers retired with any team, and that, along with the fact that the Philadelphia Athletics no longer exist in their present form, is why, unlike a lot of long-ago legends, they tend to get forgotten.

9. Joint Entry: Several players for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders do not retire numbers. Nor do they have a team hall of fame. They should retire 16 for George Blanda (quarterback, 1967-75), 12 for Ken Stabler (quarterback, 1970-79), 32 for Marcus Allen (running back, 1982-92, which Al Davis would never have done while he was alive even if he did retire numbers, due to their nasty falling-out), and 75 for Howie Long (defensive end, 1981-93). If others should be packed away, don't tell me, tell them.

8. Joint Entry: Several players for the Dallas Cowboys. The  Cowboys don't retire numbers, either. But they do have a Ring of Honor, which was set up at their new stadium after having been established at Texas Stadium.

Five numbers ought to do it: 74, Bob Lilly, defensive tackle, 1961-74; 12, Roger Staubach, quarterback, 1969-79; 33, Tony Dorsett, running back, 1977-87; 8, Troy Aikman, quarterback, 1989-2000; and 22, Emmitt Smith, running back, 1990-2002.

7. Joint Entry: Two quarterbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles.  11, Norm Van Brocklin (1958-60); and 7, Ron Jaworski (1977-86). The Eagles just retired McNabb's 5, and he's 1 of 2 quarterbacks to lead them into the Super Bowl. Jaworski is the other.

But Van Brocklin is the last quarterback to lead them to a championship, so even though he was only there for 3 years, he should be honored. (Yes, there are players who've been with some sports teams for less who've had their numbers retired -- some, even without dying young.)

6. 1, Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins, goaltender, 1938-49. In his rookie season, he helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, while posting 10 shutouts, earning him the nickname "Mr. Zero."  He also helped them win the Cup in 1941. He's in the Hall of Fame. But while the Bruins have retired every other single-digit uniform except 6, they haven't retired 1.  

Brimsek's predecessor, Clarence "Tiny" Thompson, is also in the Hall of Fame, but 1 hasn't been retired for him, either.

5. 8, Gary Carter, New York Mets, catcher, 1985-89. Met fans who chose Mike Piazza as the team's all-time catcher in a 50th Anniversary poll in 2012 forgot 3 things: 1, The greatest catcher in your team's history has to actually be able to play the position of catcher, and Piazza couldn't play it worth beans; 2, A Hall of Fame catcher who helped you win a World Series should be ahead of a catcher not in the Hall of Fame who didn't help you win one; and 3, Carter had just died, so remembrances of him would have been fresh.

Carter was elected to the Hall in 2003, and he lived until just before spring training in 2012, so they had 9 seasons in which to retire his number -- 8, if he would have been too ill to attend in 2011. The Montreal Expos retired his 8 (although it was unretired when they became the Washington Nationals), but while the Mets have taken it out of circulation, they haven’t retired it.

4. 4, Red Kelly, Detroit Red Wings, defenseman, 1947-60. In 1954, he was awarded the 1st Norris Trophy as best defenseman. He helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup in 1950, '52, '54 and '55.

They traded him to the Maple Leafs, who converted him to a center, and he helped them win Cups in 1962, '63, '64 and '67.  This made him the only man to win as many as 8 Cups without ever having played for the Montreal Canadiens. He then retired, and became the first head coach for the Los Angeles Kings.

If you think Nicklas Lidstrom was the best defenseman in Detroit history, then you at least have to put Kelly alongside him in the starting lineup. The Leafs have made his 4 an Honoured Number, but the Wings haven't so honored him. They should, while he's still alive. (He's 86.)

UPDATE: The Leafs retired Kelly's 4 in 2016, and the Wings did so in 2019.

3. 43, Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians, center field, 1916-26; manager, 1919-26; coach, 1947-49. Speaker retired before uniform numbers were introduced, but, like the aforementioned Eddie Collins, and like Honus Wagner with the Pittsburgh Pirates (who retired his Number 33), he returned as a coach, to aid Larry Doby in his transition to center field, which he hadn't played before.

Since he was their greatest player, and one of only 2 managers to lead them to a World Championship, he should receive the honor. (Though I have no idea why they gave him 43.)

2. 99, George Mikan, Los Angeles Lakers, center, 1947-54. True, he only played for them in Minneapolis, but the league never would have lasted long enough for them to move to Los Angeles if Mikan hadn't been the face of the league from 1948 to 1954.

The Lakers have a banner honoring Mikan and their other Minneapolis-era Hall-of-Famers, but that's not the same thing.

1. 6, Hector "Toe" Blake, Montreal Canadiens, left wing 1935-48, head coach 1955-68. He won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1939, and the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1944 and '46. But his true contribution was as head coach, winning 8 Cups, including 5 in a row: 1956, '57, '58, '59, '60, '65, '66 and '68.  Until Scotty Bowman came along, he was the greatest coach in NHL history. Yet, for all their retired numbers, the Habs have never honored him with the honor.

If you're wondering why a hockey player was nicknamed "Toe," it’s because, when he was a boy, his baby sister couldn't pronounce "Hector," and it came out "Hec-toe."